I did not know what to expect of Glasgow but I understood that it is rather different from Edinburgh, which I visited a good few years ago over a chilly December weekend and spotted JK Rowling in a park as well as observing hundreds of Santas who participated in a charity run. I also wished I did not underestimate its wind chill and had brought a coat with me instead of the slim cardigan – pretty but not practical enough this far north in Scotland!

With several meetings and a conference to attend, it was not all leisure for me in the largest city of Scotland. Luckily, as the days are long in the summer, I get an hour or so each evening to wander about with S, one of my colleagues, before getting our dinner, and even a good few hours on the final day. If only there was more time to visit areas other than central Glasgow…

It is easy to explore the city centre by foot and while there may be some up- or down-hill streets, they don’t make strenous walk but afforded interesting viewpoints from place to place. I also like how the old and the new sit next to one another, of red-bricked buildings with carved facade and of modern blocks of steel and glass. What surprised me was the very orderly grid system, as if it is an American city rather than an European one.

Street-roaming aside, S and I managed to also visit the Gallery of Modern Art – free to enter – which has a small but relatively interesting set of exhibition. At its entrance is a statue of Duke of Wellington, who wears a traffic cone and I’ve learned that this is sort of his “signature look” now. Whenever the cone was removed, another would be stealthily placed, that it has become an attraction in its own right!

It would be remised of me not to mention the familiar brands that I could find in Glasgow and, going by experience of living in Dublin, knew exactly what I could find in each of the different shops. I took the opportunity to handily stock up on a few items that I had had trouble locating in Paris, minor things (hello sunblock lotion with insect repellent!), yet somehow impossibly difficult to find. Or maybe that’s just a reflection of the fact that I don’t in general shop much, so my knowledge about shopping is also kinda minimal.

No visit to Scotland can be complete without a few meals in the pub and ordering haggis at one point. Check, and check. S and I also found a gastronomic restaurant with desserts to die for – not deep fried Mars or KitKat! – so we gave ourself a treat, plus a break from the lunch sandwiches (not much option at the conference centre) and usual pub food (as much as I’ve been missing them, I also needed food other than burger and chips), and dined there two nights in a row.

The busy week flew by and soon I found myself packing to return to Paris. Not that that didn’t turn out to be an adventure in its own right. I had a connecting flight with short transfer time in London and it was frustrating that our flight was delayed, but then it somehow become “corrected” with the flight leaving London also delayed. It meant I got home much later than planned that night to unpack and repack to leave the following morning (to Mont St Michel), but I was also welcomed home with a display of sparkling Eiffel Tower from my window seat :)